--- title: Bee Populations Decline Due to Pesticides, Habitat Loss description: More than 700 North American bee species are head toward extinction as habitat loss and pesticide use continue at a breakneck pace. canonical: https://time.com/4688417/north-american-bee-population-extinction/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-03-02T16:48:55.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T03:37:39.606Z article:section: Science og:title: More than 700 North American Bee Species Face Extinction og:description: Due to increased pesticide use and habitat loss og:url: https://time.com/4688417/north-american-bee-population-extinction/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt611d6ef089a21fe1/6988bcbc196cf447f403f170/american-bees.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Honeybees Endangered As Colony Collapse Disorders Worsens og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: More than 700 North American Bee Species Face Extinction twitter:description: Due to increased pesticide use and habitat loss twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt611d6ef089a21fe1/6988bcbc196cf447f403f170/american-bees.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # More than 700 North American Bee Species Are Headed Toward Extinction  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Mar 2, 2017 4:48 PM UTC  Honey bees are seen at the J&P Apiary and Gentzel's Bees Honey and Pollination Company on April 10, 2013 in Homestead, Florida. Honey bees are seen at the J&P Apiary and Gentzel's Bees Honey and Pollination Company on April 10, 2013 in Homestead, Florida.Joe Raedle—Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Mar 2, 2017 4:48 PM UTC Population levels of more than 700 North American bee species are declining as habitat loss and pesticide use continue at a breakneck pace, according to a new [report](http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/native%5Fpollinators/pdfs/Pollinators%5Fin%5FPeril.pdf). The report from the Center for Biological Diversity relies on an evaluation of more than 1,400 bee species with sufficient data for the assessment. More than half of those species are on the decline and nearly a quarter is at risk of extinction, according to the report. “We’re on the verge of losing hundreds of native bee species in the United States if we don’t act to save them,” said study author Kelsey Kopec, a pollinator researcher, in a [statement](http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press%5Freleases/2017/bees-03-01-2017.php). “If we don’t act to save these remarkable creatures, our world will be a less colorful and more lonesome place.” The study joins a [growing body of research](http://time.com/559/the-plight-of-the-honeybee/) sounding the alarm on the threats facing bees. A 2015 [report](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/feb/26/decline-of-bees-poses-potential-risks-to-major-crops-says-un) from a United Nations group found that populations are declining for 37% of bee species, with 9% of butterfly and bee populations facing extinction. The insects play an important economic role as pollinators helping sustain agricultural production. In the United States, that value reaches billions of dollars annually, according to a 2015 White House [report](http://time.com/3888147/white-house-honeybees-plan/). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4688417/north-american-bee-population-extinction/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4688417/north-american-bee-population-extinction/"},"headline":"More than 700 North American Bee Species Are Headed Toward Extinction","datePublished":"2017-03-02T16:48:55.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T03:37:39.606Z","description":"Due to increased pesticide use and habitat loss","url":"https://time.com/4688417/north-american-bee-population-extinction/","keywords":["animals","Agriculture","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt611d6ef089a21fe1/6988bcbc196cf447f403f170/american-bees.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt611d6ef089a21fe1/6988bcbc196cf447f403f170/american-bees.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Honeybees Endangered As Colony Collapse Disorders Worsens","caption":"American Honeybees","creditText":"Joe Raedle—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/animals/","name":"animals"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4688417/north-american-bee-population-extinction/","name":"More than 700 North American Bee Species Are Headed Toward Extinction"}}]}] ```